These Hearts Feel All
by Tremblin
Summary: Utter fluff, had to write it. Hermione and Harry have discovered something deep within themselves. COMPLETE!
1. Prologue

> So this is the intro to my first ever fan fic. Read and review, anticipate etc. but there is a lot more coming!

* * *

Crookshanks nestled himself onto Hermione's lap and purred softly as she petted him. She closed her eyes and without meaning to, God, why would she do it deliberately, her mind wandered back to before the summer, back to the Ministry of Magic, the Department of Mysteries. A tear slipped down her cheek, no matter how smart she was, how many things she could do with a wand; the fact of the matter was that she could never bring Sirius back. She thought of Harry and felt as if a knife had been pushed into her stomach. Crookshanks sensed her pain and moved in closer.

"Harry..." she whispered, her face soaked in salty tears.

Harry had sent one brief owl to Hermione's house that summer.

"Decided to go to Ron's, see you there."

Hermione was leaving for the Burrow the very next day; she didn't really want to go. The entire house would be surrounded by sadness. Maybe it was for the best, maybe she could help to cheer Harry up a bit.

"But it's not fair," she thought, "why can't someone help me, I'm suffering too, and not even my parents know."

This had become a routine over the last two weeks. Mr. and Mrs. Granger would go to their dental practice during the day, leaving Hermione alone to wallow in her grief. Night, on the other hand, was a very different story. Hermione looked fit and healthy to her parents, if occasionally a bit peaky.  
  
Hermione heard the click of a key being turned in the lock on the front door. Her parents were home early! She leaped off her chair, startling Crookshanks, and raced up the stairs. When her mother came up to check on her, she found Hermione busily loading books and clothes into her trunk, in readiness for the Knight Bus to pick her up the next day.


	2. Back at the Burrow

Harry sat sullenly in a large squashy armchair in the corner of the lounge room.  
  
"Look here Harry; I reckon we could try this one with Fred and Gorge."  
  
Harry nodded mutely, his eyes not focusing on the book in front of him. Poor Ron, even Quidditch wasn't working. It seemed to be the last straw. He stood up.  
  
"Jesus Harry, get friggin' over it, OK? Hermione's coming soon and I'll bet she's a right bit better at making conversation than you. It's all good to be upset and all; in fact, it's OK to hog all the attention. It's not like anyone else cared about Sirius or watched him die, just you, you pathetic pile of..."  
  
"Ronald Weasley!" Ron looked up, horrified, straight into the eyes of Mrs. Weasley. "You have no right to yell at someone like that, no matter how you're feeling. I'm almost ready to send Hermione an owl telling her not to come, but that wouldn't be fair to her."  
  
Ron glanced at Harry, if he'd expected to get a reaction out of the Boy Who Lived, he'd been mistaken. Instead of yelling back or even swinging a punch, Harry had simply leaned back into the chair, his eyes glazed over.  
  
Mrs. Weasley left the lounge room and headed back to her knitting at the dining room table. She found her needles had run rampant unsupervised. The jumper she had been knitting was now riddled with holes and dropped stitches.  
  
"Blast!" She ejaculated.  
  
Things were not going well for Mrs. Weasley. She had hoped that inviting Harry to stay might have cheered him up a bit, but Harry had been unresponsive. He was barely eating anything at mealtimes. She hated to admit it, but Ron was right, Harry's attitude to life was grating on everybody's nerves.  
  
"Oh well," she thought, "Hermione may help them both to cheer up a bit, and I'm sure Ginny will appreciate having her around again."  
  
With that thought, she heard a roar and saw a splash of purple go past the window. She raced to the front door, but Ron had beaten her to it.  
  
"Hermione!" He yelled. 


	3. The Awakening of Feelings Deep within

Hermione looked at the spread in front of her, she hadn't eaten since leaving home that morning and felt as though her stomach was going to eat itself. She loaded her plate: Shepard's pie, carrots, and beans, some of that beautiful white sauce that was almost hiding the cauliflower. With her plate now full, she reached for the jug of butter beer at the same time that Harry had the same idea. Their hands touched and Hermione felt as if electricity had just passed through her, to the deepest part of her stomach. She blushed and looked down.  
  
"You go first." She mumbled.

* * *

Harry felt more alive than he had all holiday. Creeping out of Ron's room, he put on his invisibility cloak and crept down the stairs. He had to clear his head. He snuck out of the front door and walked slowly through the garden, kicking at the gnomes that tried to attach themselves to his legs. What was he feeling? He was now walking subconsciously, all his thoughts on himself.  
  
For once, he couldn't work it out. What was it? It didn't seem to be Sirius or Voldemort, those things seemed so small now in comparison to this, this feeling he had discovered that evening. The things that had been so huge only that afternoon were now mediocre. He thought back to the electricity he had felt at dinner when he was reaching for the...  
  
He gasped, "Hermione!" he thought aloud.  
  
"Harry, is that you?"  
  
Harry looked around and came face to face with Hermione. She had heard! He whipped off the cloak.  
  
"I was, I was, I was just taking a walk." He lied.  
  
"What, at this time of night?"  
  
"You are too." He retaliated.  
  
"Yeah, but I wasn't calling out your name, was I?"  
  
"That was just because I saw you." He yawned unconvincingly. "Right, well I think I'm going to go to bed now."  
  
He raced back inside; his heart seemed to be beating a million times a minute.

* * *

Hermione looked after him and sighed. He had seen her, although she knew it was a long shot, she had hoped he might have felt it at dinner as well. There was no denying it, she had fallen for Harry!  
  
She stifled a yawn (a real yawn!) and made her way inside to the warm, comfy bed Mrs. Weasley had conjured up for her in Ginny's room. 


	4. Late Night Girly Talk

"Hermione, what's going on?" Ginny looked so serious, so empathetic that Hermione felt compelled to reply.  
  
"It's..."  
  
"It's OK 'mione, we're practically sisters anyway. I promise I can keep a secret."  
  
Hermione thought it over. Ginny was so alert and aware of everything around her she'd probably pick it up anyway, she decided to give up her secret.  
  
"It's Harry."  
  
Ginny looked at her, an almost puzzled expression in her eyes. She stretched out on her bed and looked at the bed where Hermione was sitting.  
  
"He hasn't given you the cold shoulder or anything, has he? I mean, Ron's been angry at him and I know he can be a bit rude, but he really has been through a rough time..."  
  
Suddenly, a thought dawned on Ginny; she looked at the blushing Hermione. She breathed shallowly.  
  
"You – you like Harry."  
  
Hermione's face said it all.  
  
"Does he know yet? I mean, do you reckon' he'd..."  
  
Hermione pulled a face.  
  
"I dunno Gin, I'm sorry, I know you like him and all, I just can't get him out of my head. It's like every time I see him, some sort of spark starts in the pit of my stomach. It's like, it's like, it's like everything in the room is glowing and it's only him and I in the room."  
  
Ginny whistled. "Nah, I got over him ages ago, remember? It sounds like you've got it bad."  
  
An impish grin crept across her face. Hermione could tell that Ginny's mind was ticking very quickly. Being Hermione, she rapidly put two and two together and found that it made quite an uncomfortable four.  
  
"No! Don't you dare! If you try and play matchmaker..."  
  
"Are you threatening me?" Ginny grinned, "I'll do what is necessary, thank- you very much."  
  
Hermione sighed, she could argue the point, but in her heart of hearts she knew that she wanted Harry to want her too.  
  
Ginny turned off the light.  
  
"'Night Ginny, don't do anything rash."  
  
"'Night 'mione, I'll try not to."  
  
The two burrowed down into their respective blankets and tried to get some sleep. Ginny fell asleep instantly, to impish dreams of being a matchmaker and fairytales with happily ever after endings. Hermione, on the other hand, took a good half hour to fall into unconsciousness, and even then, she twisted and turned with dream of Harry and Sirius. It was no wonder that Mrs. Weasley took one look at her the next morning and told her to go back to bed. 


	5. Too Narrow a Hallway

Hermione was late to dinner the next night. She came down the stairs and walked into the dining room. With Bill and Charlie deciding not to come home for the summer, there were just enough chairs, so Hermione knew that there'd be one left for her. She looked around and sure enough, there was her spare chair, right between Ginny and – Harry! Keeping her head down, she slid into her seat and piled up her plate.  
  
"Are you feeling better dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked from her seat at the head of the table, "you have a bit more colour in your cheeks than you did this morning."  
  
"Yes, I'm fine thank you." Hermione replied. Luckily, she didn't have to answer more questions; Mrs. Weasley had started on Harry.  
  
"Now Harry, dear, are you quite sure you're well, you aren't eating very much."  
  
"I'm fine thanks." He mumbled.  
  
Hermione turned to look at him and caught his eye. Harry turned away quickly and both were growing a pretty shade of pink. It didn't matter anymore, Hermione realised that Harry had done exactly the same thing that she had. Did Harry like her? She turned and nudged Ginny, but Ginny was a quick girl and had already got her mother's attention with a conversation on dress robes before she could see the new colours that both Harry and Hermione were sporting.

* * *

With dinner over, Harry decided to go back to Ron's room and read his new Quidditch book. He was slowly feeling himself getting more and more sociable as the days spent at the Burrow wore on. In fact, today he'd even asked Ron a question, rather than just muttering a reply. He quickened the pace, it was such a long hallway, with all the bedrooms the Burrow needed. He passed the twins' room, where some sort of yellow smoke seemed to be oozing from the bottom of the door, and went to turn into Ron's room – straight into Hermione who was turning the opposite way from the bathroom right next to Ron's room!  
  
"I'm sorry." Hermione spoke quickly, "I didn't see you.  
  
"That's OK."  
  
Their eyes locked, and Harry once again felt that electricity he had that night at tea. Hermione seemed to feel it too. She pulled her gaze away.  
  
"Right then, bye." She walked briskly along the hallway to Ginny's room.  
  
Harry was left gazing after her. 


	6. Sweet Nothings

I know these chapters are quite short, but I can't seem to find myself waffling too much, I like to give an idea of what's going on and then have a look at it from another perspective or put the characters in another situation. Thank-you for the reviews – I was so excited by them and the fact that I was on update alert lists!

* * *

Ginny wanted to help Hermione and Harry, but the pair weren't helping themselves. She took matters into her own hands, knowing that after what she had witnessed and heard about from Hermione last night; Harry was feeling something for Hermione too. She urged Hermione to confront him, but she had said no. Ginny was ready to get them together herself or die trying.  
  
She walked into Ron's room; she knew that Ron was playing Quidditch with the rest of the Weasley boys and that Harry was staying behind. She sat herself down on Harry's bed.  
  
"Hi Ginny."  
  
"Harry, I need to talk to you."  
  
Harry rolled up the parchment that he'd been writing on and looked at Ginny.  
  
"Shoot."  
  
Knowing that Hermione was only a couple of rooms away, Ginny took the initiative to whisper. Harry took the cue and leaned in.  
  
Ginny proceeded to tell him about what she had seen between him and Hermione and how, since Hermione didn't seem to want to do anything, Harry had to make the first move.  
  
Neither of them heard Hermione walk into the room.

* * *

Hermione had made up her mind. After last night it was obvious to her (as well as to Ginny, who had no problem conveying this to Hermione) that Harry had feelings for her as well. This was it; Harry was alone in Ron's room while Ron was playing Quidditch. She guessed he still didn't feel like doing anything much.  
  
"Oh well, better luck for me." She thought.  
  
She was going to do it; she'd confront him and tell him how she felt. What was the worst thing that could happen? He'd just say no and that would be that. She knew it would be easier said than done. Hermione shivered.  
  
She made her way down the hallway and turned into Ron's bedroom. She closed her eyes to muster up some courage, and walked in. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. This was very quickly exhaled, for there was Ginny Weasley sitting on Harry's bed - with Harry! – whispering sweet nothings into his ear!  
  
"You two-faced, backstabbing cow!" The outraged Hermione screamed at her.  
  
Ginny and Harry looked up, Ginny in particular looked extremely flustered.  
  
"Hermione, it's not what you think!"  
  
"Right, Harry had turned into a frog and you had to kiss him to turn him back right?"  
  
"Hermione, I didn't kiss him!"  
  
Hermione snorted, she ran back to Ginny's room, shoved everything she owned into her trunk and waited outside, her wand held high in the air.  
  
Before Ginny knew it, there was a flash of purple and Hermione was gone.  
  
"Oh geez..." she whispered.


	7. Putting Two and Two Together

Harry was mortified. He'd only been listening to Ginny, nothing else. All of his being was taken up with Hermione and the feeling was getting stronger by the minute. Ginny had left to write an owl to Hermione and Harry, seeing it the most practical thing to do, wrote one too.  
  
'Hermione, there is nothing between Ginny and I, nothing! We were talking about you. Ginny knew how we felt and she was trying to convince me to go after you, she never meant for this to happen. Hermione – I love you. I never thought I'd say it, but I do. We have to talk it over, please, come back, Ginny is distraught. Harry.'  
  
He tied the note to Hedwig's leg and gave her his instructions.  
  
"Hedwig, I don't know where she is, but I've gotta get this letter to Hermione."  
  
Hedwig pecked his finger, she seemed to notice that he was worried and she flew out of Ron's window, nearly straight into Errol, who was trying to fly in a straight line out of Ginny's window.  
  
Harry knew now, he loved her! He really loved her! But she was gone. He went down to dinner, a sinking feeling in his heart.

* * *

"I don't want to start without Hermione, where is she?" Mrs. Weasley looked around the table, as if hoping that she would magically appear.  
  
"She's not feeling well mum, she's gone to bed early." Ginny gave her the best excuse that she, Harry and Ron (who had found out from Harry about what had gone on) could come up with.  
  
"Well, we should start then, but I'll go and check on her after dinner."  
  
Ron grimaced, he was startled by this Harry and Hermione thing but he knew he had to cover up for her.  
  
"I wouldn't mum, I had to borrow a book from Ginny and I almost woke her up, maybe you should wait until tomorrow."  
  
Mrs. Weasley looked sceptical. "Do you think that's wise, Ron dear? I want to make sure that she's OK."  
  
Ginny, Harry and Ron exchanged a worried glance, and Ginny decided that she had to come to the rescue.  
  
"She'll be OK mum, she just wanted a good lie down, and she said she'd see you in the morning."  
  
Mrs. Weasley seemed to decide that that was fair enough.  
  
"OK then, but you tell me if she still isn't well during the night, OK Ginny?"  
  
"Sure Mum." Ginny looked relieved, but it wasn't to be for long.  
  
Fred suddenly piped up, "hey, did anyone see that purple thing outside this afternoon? I almost though the Knight Bus was down our street."  
  
Ginny kicked him under the table. George, who was sitting next to her, got the same treatment. Ginny hissed into his ear.  
  
"Look, Hermione's nicked off, we reckon she'll be back tomorrow, so you guys just shut up and help us cover for her, OK?"  
  
George glanced at Fred; silently an agreement grew between the twins and Ginny to keep things as unsuspicious as possible.  
  
"Well that's odd." Mrs. Weasley replied, "Maybe one of the neighbours is having a holiday?" 


	8. A Lonely Ride

Thanks again to those who have reviewed. This is becoming quite a lot of fun to write!

* * *

Hermione didn't really know where to go. She couldn't go home; she didn't want to face her parents. She couldn't go back to the Burrow; she didn't want to be in the middle of Harry and Ginny's little fling. She sneered, if only school had started up again already, but she wasn't really looking forward to that. She had to face it, she couldn't get away.  
  
Without Hermione realising it, the Knight Bus had pulled up next to the Burrow. The door opened and Stan stood in the doorway, gawking at her tear- stained face.  
  
"Oy, 'aven't we seen you before? Did ya 'oliday get cut short?"  
  
Hermione gave him a withering look, "Leaky Cauldron please."  
  
She handed over her money and picked up Crookshanks. She walked down the aisle of the bus to sit on one of the armchairs that seemed to be awaiting her.

* * *

Hermione was thankful to have a place of her own for a little while. She looked around the musty, damp room and felt grateful that she hadn't seen anyone she knew. She didn't feel like seeing anyone right now.  
  
All of a sudden there was a hoot, and a snowy white owl flew into the room, half dragging another ancient owl along with her.  
  
"Hedwig and Errol!" She said aloud, forgetting her problems in the excitement. They came back to her quickly though, and she sullenly took the messages from the two birds. Both had the same story.  
  
"They probably put their heads together to come up with it." She thought maliciously.  
  
Hermione took a quill and a piece of parchment and sat at the old brown desk in the corner of the room.  
  
"Harry and Ginny, all you have done is confirmed to me that you are closer than I first thought. Thank you so much for under-estimating my stupidity, it gives me so much respect for you both. Tell Mrs. Weasley thank-you very much for having me, but I had to leave suddenly and I will send her an owl in the near future. Hermione."  
  
She attached the message to Hedwig's leg after giving the pair a much needed drink from Crookshank's bowl of water and watched them fly out through her window.  
  
The most intelligent girl at Hogwarts lay down on her bed, buried her head in her hands and sobbed. She fell asleep a few hours later, fully dressed on top of her bedspread with Crookshanks lying on her back. 


	9. Late Night Discussions

Life was a mess in the Burrow. Ginny had told Mrs. Weasley that Hermione had left, and Mrs. Weasley didn't know what to do. She was responsible for Hermione and now she didn't know where the girl was. Her only consolation was the owl that had come a few days earlier.  
  
"Mrs. Weasley, thank-you for your hospitality, but for personal reasons I could not remain at the Burrow. Yours sincerely, Hermione."  
  
There had been many a discussion between Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as to the best course of action, and tonight was no exception. The two lay in their bed and waited for all sounds of life amongst the children to disappear.  
  
"I just don't know what to do," Mrs. Weasley confided in her husband, "I know she's quite capable of taking care of herself, but I am quite worried. I don't even know why she left!"  
  
Mr. Weasley looked at his wife with sympathy. Although sometimes he misjudged things entirely, these holidays he had been particularly perceptive.  
  
"I think she left because of Harry," he said quietly, almost to himself.  
  
"What?!" Mrs. Weasley sat bolt upright.  
  
Mr. Weasley looked startled to find that there was someone next to him.  
  
"Haven't you noticed?" He asked her, "They've been avoiding each other all holiday, and when they have had to speak or go near each other, they can't hold their gaze."  
  
"You think that they had a fight and haven't been speaking to each other?" She asked.  
  
Mr. Weasley looked at her closely. "No," he replied, "I think they're in love."

* * *

Ron, Ginny and Harry were also having a late night discussion. Sensing that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley might hear them, they asked Fred and George to come in. Since they were of age, Fred was able to put a silencing spell on the room.  
  
"It's simple; we have to get her back to the Burrow." Ginny told the others emphatically.  
  
"Easier said than done, little sis," Fred (or was it George?) replied.  
  
Harry sat quietly, his eyes shut. Suddenly he stood up. Four pairs of eyes looked at him expectedly. Harry started to pace around Ron's bedroom.  
  
"OK, so our first priority is to let her know that we are telling the truth, right?"  
  
"Right," Ron replied.  
  
"Wrong," answered Harry.  
  
Ginny looked confused. "But..."  
  
Harry held up a hand to silence her.  
  
"We've already tried to convince her that what we said was true," he told his gawking listeners. "She's going to have to come back to that conclusion herself. No, what I'm going to have to do is earn back her trust, and at the same time we can get her back to the Burrow."  
  
No-one bothered to respond, they were looking at him in amazement.  
  
Harry continued. "Tomorrow, at night, Fed and George are going to apparate to the Leaky Cauldron."  
  
Ron gave him a funny look. "Why the Leaky Cauldron?" He asked.  
  
Harry didn't miss a beat. "The note that Hedwig brought back had a kind of yellowy dust on it. According to Dobby, that kind of dust only comes from the Leaky Cauldron, it's the cleaning substance that they use there. Anyway, so Fred and George go to the Leaky Cauldron. They wait until she's getting dressed or in the bathroom or something, and then they signal to us, who are sitting on our three broomsticks outside the window under my invisibility cloak, which will be just big enough. We carry another broomstick with us for Hermione, who just got her own invisibility cloak for her birthday."  
  
Fred waved his hand impatiently, "and then..."  
  
"And then I go in and sit on the bed. When Hermione comes back out, she'll find me. The rest of you will be on that really thick ledge outside the window. I'll...erm...I'll...talk to her. If she wants to come back, then we get her onto her broomstick, bring her back and tell your parents that she came back by herself. If not, then no-one need ever know."  
  
The others nodded, they all wanted Hermione back. They began discussing times and co-ordination in earnest. 


	10. Together

They flew together, huddled beneath the safety of the invisibility cloak, a broomstick across their knees.  
  
"Lucky twins." Thought Ginny.  
  
It was cold, and the trio were shivering, stupidly they had forgotten to grab cloaks or coats on their way out. Mind you, they had snuck out right under Mrs. Weasly's nose. She'd gone to bed late and they'd gone out Ron's window, but still...  
  
It was quite a long flight and they had ceased talking long ago. Harry vaguely wondered if Hermione would even be awake.  
  
The shimmering lights of London had come into view; it was just a matter of navigating themselves to the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
"Ow Ron, that was my shoulder!"  
  
"Ginny, shut-up!"  
  
And there they were, on the ledge, Fred and George had already arrived and were staking out Hermione's room.

* * *

Hermione stretched and yawned. She was quite tired and decided that it was probably time for bed. Totally oblivious to the possie outside her window, she fed and brushed Crookshanks, pulled her blankets down and plumped up her pillow. She grabbed her clothes and went into the dingy bathroom, intending to brush her teeth.

* * *

George gestured to Harry. He climbed silently through the window and sat down on the edge of her bed. The others were crowded around outside under the invisibility cloak, he couldn't see them, but he knew they were there and was thankful for the comfort they were unknowingly presenting him with.  
  
Hermione walked out of her bathroom, pyjamas now on, she had brushed her hair and to Harry looked perfect, in all her natural beauty.  
  
She saw him there and didn't seem surprised to see him; in fact, she sat down next to him, silently, watching.  
  
"Hermione, I..."  
  
She put a finger to his lips, "I know." She whispered.  
  
Their lips met and in the glorious moonlight, they melded into one. 


End file.
